]]>13223http://i.grahamenglish.net/13223/final-score/iGrahamEnglish is just GrahamEnglishhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGrahamEnglishBlog/~3/-SCmcZSGViM/
Sat, 19 Jul 2014 03:35:19 +0000graham@grahamenglish.com (Graham English)http://i.grahamenglish.net/?p=13176Whatever you do, don’t put your blog in a subdomain unless you really know what you’re doing. And don’t sweat it when you abandon a blog because every moment is new. Stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, or subscribe by email.

]]>13176http://i.grahamenglish.net/13176/igrahamenglish-is-just-grahamenglish/Cleaning Up My Acthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGrahamEnglishBlog/~3/Ty_dhBRUJ8U/
Wed, 05 Mar 2014 00:28:40 +0000graham@grahamenglish.com (Graham English)http://i.grahamenglish.net/?p=13001I’m doing some housecleaning and moving a lot of the content on this blog to my artist site: grahamenglish.com I’ll keep the blog up but this site will have a new purpose shortly. Let the suspense build.

]]>12847http://i.grahamenglish.net/12847/logic-pro-mixing-metering-and-loudness-explained/Attention Musicians: Comfortably Avoid Hearing Loss With Custom Fitted Earplugshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGrahamEnglishBlog/~3/VBElAlLvoto/
http://i.grahamenglish.net/12809/attention-musicians-comfortably-avoid-hearing-loss-with-custom-fitted-earplugs/#commentsFri, 01 Mar 2013 01:28:43 +0000graham@grahamenglish.com (Graham English)http://i.grahamenglish.net/?p=12809The daily exposure listening limit of a 115 dB marching band is under 30 seconds! The main point I want to make is this: Bandheads like me are regularly putting their ears in danger and need protection.

On day 1 of NAMM I had my hearing tested and faired well. My hearing isn’t perfect from years of standing to the right of loud drummers. But I’m within a healthy range for a guy my age, maybe even a guy 12 to 16 months younger. Nostalgia for pre-teen hearing aside, I would probably be in a lot worse shape if I never used earplugs.

The main point I want to make is this: Bandheads like me are regularly putting their ears in danger and need protection.

Vintage Vibe LLC
Clavinet remake! It’s called the Vibanet and it plays and sounds better than the real thing. I can say this because I’ve owned a Clavinet D6 for over a decade now. They’re also making Clavinet strings which is a huge relief because the only Clav strings out there suck. I paid a lot of money to get mine restrung in 2011 and the crossover in string thickness is so noticeable that I get disappointed every time I play it. Not the kind of experience you want from a vintage keyboard. Check out http://www.vintagevibe.com.

Line 6Sean Halley showed me some hybrid picking techniques. He also talked about building his own gear and I should follow up with him on that because he’s saving a ton of money while building a killer studio. The new L2t loud speakers are nice. I have a L3t and love it.

CME Pte. Ltd.Xkey MIDI controller. Looks just like an Apple keyboard. Didn’t feel great but it’s usable and a nice size if a bit heavy at 1.3 lbs.

NoteflightHTML5 scoring app from a Cambridge, MA company. I like the idea of embedding scores on my web pages.

ILIOScore cleaner did a good job of interpreting a jazz solo I played. I’ve been looking for a fast and light weight way to score and transcribe. This was the closest thing I found. Lounge Lizard is a physical modeling virtual instrument. The video demo on the site has some hot playing.

BAE
Next preamp on my buy list is a Neve 1073. This clone is probably the one. A 500 series 1073d.

Visionary Instruments
Crazy controller guitar! If you want a laptop guitar rig, this instrument will control anything and everything. I want one.

SKB Corporation
I’m getting an i series acoustic case for my Gibson Hummingbird. I travel with a Mono Case and an electric usually but the hassles have been increasing. Just try to take your guitar to the gate with a small suitcase and personal carry on. It only takes one TSA agent to make your travel day extra shitty.

Fishman
Triple Play Wireless Guitar Controller. Due early summer. Had some latency issues in the demo but is a great idea. They tested it with Notion which is another contender for fast scoring and transcribing.

Kemper GmbH
These guys blew my mind last year. This year they added new rack versions as well as powered versions. I have most amp modelers but Kemper fills a hole the others don’t yet.

Hammond USA
Ever since I sold my Leslie a few years ago I’ve been kicking myself. I knew it wouldn’t be hard to replace but I just really miss the sound. Hammond is coming out with a smaller Leslie Studio 12 that I’m definitely getting for the gig. They’re also coming out with a digital Leslie pedal that I’m sure to get. The other cool thing was the distressed finishes they’re offering. It makes me thing of getting one but I’m going to go the vintage route and buy a Hammond B3 and Leslie this year for the home and stick to my Nord C1 for live. I see good deals hit Craig’s List regularly and I’m saving the cash to pounce on one.

Korg USA, Inc.
I already put a Korg MS-20 Mini on order with Sweetwater. This was probably my second favorite thing at NAMM right after the Vibanet. The new Kaossilator Pro + also looks really cool, especially as an input to the MS-20.

Manley Laboratories, Inc.
Wouldn’t kick a Manley VoxBox out of the studio.

ModkitsDIY.com
Gotta get my soldering gun out and start practicing. Save some money and DIY.

Mix With The Masters
Al Schmitt and CLA in May 2013. Michael Brauer in August. Definitely planning a future trip to mix with the masters.

Nord
One of my all time favorite synth manufacturers. I’ve got a Stage Compact 73 and C1. The new Electros look cool, especially the 4D. If I could, I would get a new C2D, a Stage 2 73 for gigging, and Stage 2 88 for home. That would only set me back around $11,500 not including cases. Maybe it’s time to start a Kickstarter campaign.

Arturia
I love my NI Maschine Mikro but the Spark LE looks like a killer controller, especially for traveling. The MiniLab is probably going to make its way to my desk and my suitcase when it comes out.

Seymour DuncanSeymour Duncan always has a good looking booth. I’ve been wanting to put some Antiquity pickups in my Strat for awhile now.

Berklee PressOnline degrees coming in 2014!! Music production or music business!! Credits transfer!! I’ve got a Songwriting Master Certificate and it was some of the best money I’ve ever spent. I started taking some music production courses that have taken my ears to the next level so I’m going all the way now. This was great news for me.

Ultimate Support SystemsHyperstation, hypermount, and hyperpad. These are really cool stands as well as accessories to keyboard stands. I always take my iPad to the gig and drag a music stand to hold it. I’m getting one of these.

Slate Pro AudioRaven MTI, a miniature Raven that’s affordable. Here’s a Gear Slutz thread. I met Steven Slate a few times over the trip and he’s a great guy and really cares about audio and his customers. That’s why I keep buying his plugins and drum sounds.

Dave Smith Instruments
A brand new Prophet 12. If it had a joystick pitch/mod controller instead of the anti-ergonomic up/down wheels, I’d get one. That’s the only reason I don’t buy Moogs either. I really don’t like up/down wheels but I’ll save you the well rehearsed rant.

Theo Wanne
My life is filled with regrettable instrument sales. At the top of the list is selling my Selmer Radio Improved tenor sax. The dude who bought it off me is one lucky bastard. If he reads this, I’ll buy it back! When I’m ready to begin playing sax again, it looks like the Mantra sax could be the one.

Etymotic Research, Inc.
I bought a pair of Music Pro earplugs after an amazing demo. They’re the first electronic earplugs. In the 9 dB mode, they provide a 6 dB boost before they gradually attenuate at around 75 dB. So when you’re playing soft, as I often do in a jazz setting, you can actually hear better! I’ve been using custom molded earplugs since my mid to late 20s and it’s one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made. But they’re not very transparent. Since then, my ears have changed a bit so it was time for a new pair. The demo blew me away. They provide the best transparency I’ve ever heard in earplugs. You hardly know they’re in. And the 6 dB boost makes a huge difference. So when the Sensaphonics custom molds come in, I might just wear them all the time.

Radial Engineering Ltd
Several cool new products from Radial. The Voco-Loco, Gold Digger, Cherry Picker, StageBug SB-5 sidewinder laptop DI, and USB Pro. I’m most excited about the USB Pro because I’ve been wanting to incorporate my iPad/iPhone into live gigs but need more robust connectivity.

Pensado’s Place
They taped a live show and beforehand I got a chance to tell Dave how much I appreciate his show and everything I’ve learned from him. I hope you’re watching Pensado’s Place. It’s undeniably great.

Circles – Inspired by Jon Krakauer’s Into The Wild. Spacious and huge. “There’s no mercy in Circles.”

True Home – Epic rock! Fully written in a dream. “Fearless mystic, lifting the veil.”

Last Toast – Slow and dirty funk. Synth bass and talk box. Another blast off guitar solo! “Last Toast from a paper cup.”

This album was self-produced and shopped around in the early 2000s. It got us some good gigs but it wasn’t enough to keep the band together. A killer group of guys that always makes me feel nostalgic for old times and heavy duty playing!

I’ve got a feeling that you’ll enjoy this musical snapshot from the vault. You’ll know exactly where I’m coming from after you “like” this page!

The problem with really liking, I mean really liking Bob Dylan, is that it’s almost too easy. It’s even more obvious with The Beatles. I LOVE The Beatles. But who doesn’t? Some things are pretty much default and don’t count towards your life experience points.

Still, the reason we love The Beatles and Bob Dylan is because it’s really damn great stuff. Almost undeniable. Or at least, if you do deny it, you look a little out of touch.

It’s the reason I’ve spent so many hours analyzing Dylan’s songwriting. Did it help? Well, not sure. But at least these word clouds I made from his albums are a tangible result.

I made one a day for several weeks. There’s still stones to be unturned. I use them as rotating desktop backgrounds.

]]>http://i.grahamenglish.net/1736/bob-dylan-word-clouds/feed/271736noSongwriter, Recording Artist, and Blogging MusicianGraham EnglishI am a professional blogging musician, songwriter, recording artist, and music educator. I sing, play keyboards and guitar, and explore the vast world of sound hoping to find some magical moments along the way.graham,english,ear,training,songwriting,tips,lifehacks,NLP,music,education,GTD,peak,performancehttp://i.grahamenglish.net/1736/bob-dylan-word-clouds/http://grahamenglishblog.s3.amazonaws.com/Bob-Dylan-Word-Clouds.zipBlog Updatehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheGrahamEnglishBlog/~3/HBM6M1b3eK4/
http://i.grahamenglish.net/1733/blog-update/#commentsSat, 12 Nov 2011 03:04:48 +0000graham@grahamenglish.com (Graham English)http://i.grahamenglish.net/?p=1733Here's how the blog is changing and why I haven't updated in over a year.

I also spent more time than Kim Kardashian’s marriage updating the code on this blog.

The next list will only be interesting to the web geeks out there.

The blog is now HTML5. I started with HTML5 Boilerplate and used Blueprint CSS for the framework. I used Blueprint CSS for the previous design too. I’m not 100% HTML5, I’m not using article or section tags, but those are simple upgrades. I learned a ton during the process. The boilerplate is a great resource.

I replaced all background images with CSS and fallback images for people who aren’t Browser Happy. I’m even using a cutting edge radial gradient in the header.